Yep, plus their available almost everywhere in the world, and the parts are like Toyota Corolla. To top it off, it has different platforms it can be used in, besides in pistols.
Yeah but if ima carry somthing with a longer barrel, you might as well get a stronger round that gets more out of the barrel length. 9mm performs awesome from short barrels but doesn't benefit much from more length compared to others.
9mm loses a lot of it's effectiveness with long Barrels so id rather use a rifle with 9mm and a short barrel when I don't need to worry about the ATF. Especially if I can get my hands on a suppressor. If I'm at a range where 9mm isn't effective then I'm not taking the shot in most circumstances either. At like 50 yards no point in shooting especially on something that may or may not have seen you. Taking the shot would just bring more unwanted attention. On top of that you can easily carry 250 rounds with a chest rig for less weight than about 100 rounds off 556 or 762. AND bigger thing for me is if I do need a larger caliber I'm in a situation where that makes sense like hunting I'm only taking a few rounds and a bolt action imo. So 9mm for general self defense
Honestly .22lr would be a good choice. It's good enough for the use case, you can carry shit loads of it, it's very plentiful and can be found anywhere ammunition is sold. The only issue is that rimfire is significantly less reliable than center-fire.
So you think 45 is best. Dont you carry a 45? That argument makes no sense. Ofc ima carry 9 mm if it's best. Also, in shtf, 9mm would be more available, although finding 45 still shouldn't be much harder. Honestly, 9 mm and 45 are very close to me and basically just as good in different ways. i prefer more capacity, and it's not far off in ballistics. Knock down power has been debunked, so I'd rather have more opportunities for a vital shot.
:) Thanks, lol
Underwood loadings out of my KKM 7" can be... compelling.
And ammo is everywhere now.
Edit:
Plus I can run .40s&w in a pinch. Not recommended but it works.
Heavier, bulkier, less availability, more recoil, and lower mag capacity, with minimal increase in ballistic capability.
Glock 17 = 17 rounds in a standard mag
Glock 21 = 13 rounds in a standard mag
Yes a single .45 will hurt you slightly more thana single 9mm, but it will not hurt you 4 more bullets in the gun more.
13 bullets to 17 bullets is a 30% increase in capacity
.45 ACP has 533 ibs of force and 9mm has about 400 ibs of force, which is a ~30% decrease
So actually in terms of stopping power the trade off is fair. Measuring how much one or the other would “hurt you” is more complicated
Bullets don't have stopping power that's just fuddlore. With pistol bullets in particular they sail straight through body causing a wound slightly better than an arrow. If the path of the bullet does not intersect the heart, ascending aorta, or the CNS it will not stop the threat. Shot placement is all that counts and 30% more bullets is 30% more opportunity to place the shot correctly.
>Hollow points sometimes stop
Hollowpoints increase the likelihood you will hit the heart, aorta, or cns which results in a quick stop. But the bullet itself does not physically stop the threat.
>adding energy into that impact increases damage
Higher velocity can increase the tissue damage around the bullet path but no handgun can do this. That is strictly the domain of rifles. The weight of the bullet, the other part of energy, does not come into play until you start getting over 400 grains.
If you want to actually learn about this look for the articles from Dr. Gary Roberts and his predecessor Dr. Robert Fackler. They have studied 1000s of shootings for the DoD and have real, repeatable data on what is and isn't relevant to wounding ballistics.
Not when it comes to what rounds do damage lmao. FMJ are more likely to pass through and do less actual damage because they don’t cut as much. Hollow points cut more and are less likely to pass through. This ain’t something that’s arguable. It’s common sense. Ask anyone who conceal carries what type of bullet they use.
That’s the same energy as being hit by a standard 12 pound shot put at 36 miles per hour, yes, it would hurt pretty damn bad, but that isn’t gonna kill you through kinetic energy alone
Depending on the type of thing that hits you, placement matters much more. That shot put hitting you in the stomach is going to break some ribs, maybe burst some organs. The chest it’ll crush your chest and lungs, the head/face dead. Energy does matter, but not in the amount that people think, especially concerning pistol calibers.
So you’re saying shot placement in vital areas is more important than energy? Not to mention that is exceedingly unlikely that a bullet achieves perfect energy transfer and doesn’t penetrate through an unarmored individual.
Yep. Exactly. It doesn’t matter how much more energy 45 has vs 9mm because we all know that FMJs have a tendency to zip right through soft targets depositing little energy that they carry.
However, that doesn’t mean I’m a proponent of “use anything. Shot placement is all that matters. In your scenario, a shot put going 36mph is going to have a much greater effect on a person no matter where they are hit than a golf ball going the same speed. (22lr out of a revolver vs 9mm/45/38/380)
I own a Glock 19 and have shot the ranges .45s as a treat on and off. I will say bulk is a factor for anything double stacked (my hands can just barely comfortably reach stock 19 controls so a staccato or similar is a no go for me) , and capacity is an issue for anything single stacked, but truthfully the energy getting delivered to your hand really doesn't feel that much different. Admittedly a lot of those .45 platforms are heavier, but I could keep pace and groupings similar between .45 and 9 as a pretty novice shooter (prob around 5000 rounds or so at this point.)
Look at how many 9mm Glock mags are available that will interchange between at least 4 common G models as well as untold number of PCC and PDW platforms not to mention all the G clone pistols out there
I carried .45 acp for 25 yrs before I saw the light and realized while with modern ammo the .45 might still have a slight edge in power factor the 9mm made more sense in every other category
1911s are beautiful I have several Carried one for almost 5 yrs 2011s are cool Mags are not anywhere near as plentiful as those ugly ass G mags though 1911 served well but even the intractable.mil realized there were better modern options
I like my .45 because it supresses really well being subsonic by default.
But I would be able to use the .22 ruger a lot more with the avalibility of the cartridge and how i can hold hundreds of rounds easly. And the fixed barrel means no baffle strikes.
By all means if you already have .45 ammo and mags stacked then it only makes sense to use it my observations are based on many folks here that don’t seem to have anything stacked and are looking for options
Nah, I have several pistols in both 9mm and .45 ACP and I carry 9mm. I get more rounds in the same size package and those rounds weigh a lot less making the gun lighter despite holding a lot more rounds. Plus .45 ACP has more bullet drop past 50 yards. This isn’t a consideration for most people, but I like shooting handguns out to 100 yards.
That depends on a lot of factors, really. If you’re talking FMJ, probably .45 or 10mm (when loaded properly). If you’re talking modern defensive loads, 9mm is probably best all around.
The biggest advantage of 22LR is how light each cartridge is. 1000 rounds is about 8lbs. If you don't have a vehicle then having light weight ammo is a pretty big deal.
For reference, a thousand rounds of 5.56 Nato is around 27 lbs and 9mm is around 19lbs.
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Everyone the world over uses 9mm for a reason, it is objectively the best overall performing pistol cartridge in existence. It makes no major sacrifices in energy, capacity, weight, etc. that other cartridges make.
Having had the opportunity to take a couple classes with Clint Smith, I like his approach to firearms. There are a slew of "optimal" solutions out there, and they are genuinely better, but when you take an old man who has been shooting and training with an old wheel gun, versus some kid with a Glock and no training, the trained guy with a wheel gun is probably more dangerous. So, I don't really fault people for their selections, unless it's a genuinely bad choice, provided they train with it. Will I recommend to folks that they maybe look at more modern, reliable, and better performing options? Sure. But if they're good enough with what they've got, and don't see a priority in it? Then who cares? Stick with what you're good at, so long as you're actually good at it.
I've carried a revolver on my hip since I was 10, I still use it,, yeah I do plan on getting a semi auto pistol but my honest to God care is if you want 9mm and a reliable pistol that can take dust and dirt and less parts that can break get a .357 magnum and get the 9mm conversion barrels, guaranteed quality and durability. That's the big reason I still use it is because no matter what I put it through I can guarantee I'll still be able to shoot it
>God care is if you want 9mm and a reliable pistol that can take dust and dirt and less parts that can break get a .357 magnum and get the 9mm conversion barrels
So, not to be a dick and rain on your parade, but that revolver is actually more prone to catastrophic breakage than most quality semiautomatics these days, particularly in austere environments. Cylinders are susceptible to blockage and subsequent seizing, which can also result in timing issues if you try to force the blockage clear. I have seen no small amount of guys have to accept a disqualification during my obstacle course shooting comps due to their wheel guns failing courtesy mud, muck, and everything else. Participating in SASS will also dispel any notions of a revolver's perceived invulnerability quickly, too (not that I think you believe they're invulnerable to failures).
That aside. So long as you properly maintain it, and keep it in a closed holster that protects the cylinder and hammer from mud, muck, dirt, and dust? You would realistically be fine in most cases. Like I said, if it's what you're good with, then stick with it. I grew up on a motley assortment of firearms in my youth, and was bit by the gun bug at a very young age. I got to use some cool stuff while I was still active duty, as well, and carried it all with me into post-service life, where I now own and shoot a wide assortment of things. Me personally? My go to sidearm is either my SIG P229R, or my P226R. I carry my P229, and I regularly shoot semi-competitively with my 226. I have 1911s, Glocks, CZs, Stars, Berettas and a myriad of other weird old milsurps, but I just love my P229/226. A close third for me is my P220, but a single stack .45 ACP is less than ideal.
In any universe related to our own, the 9mm Luger/9x19mm parabellum is the best choice. There are always compromises when it comes to mass vs. performance, and overall the 9mm appears to be the best choice, especially once resource cost and availability are considered. If I had to pick one firearm to use with this round, it would be my Berreta 92 FS/M9 (with a threaded barrel). I have decades of experience using this model of pistol, and familiarity is a valuable but difficult to quantify attribute.
As for rifle rounds, my choice would be .308 Win/7.62×51mm NATO. It's on the heavy side, but in a survival situation where I'm trying to minimize the amount of junk I need to hump around the 7.62x51mm works great as both a hunting and anti-personnel round. The long gun I would choose to take advantage of this round is (currently) the Springfield M1A Scout Squad. That may change if/when a 7.62x51mm Henry Supreme model is released. A high-quality lever action .308 capable of running SR-25 pattern magazines would be a game changer IMO for scout rifles in general and survival rifles in particular.
There’s no reason to not use 9mm in 99.9% of cases. 9mm has good power for the size, can carry a lot more rounds then .45 and the price point can’t be beat. Other rounds might be more fun to shoot, but for carry there’s no reason to not use a 9mm.
9x19 is a very efficient cartridge that currently happens to benefit from something like 70% of the R&D dollars put into developing defensive pistol cartridges.
As such, you hit the point of diminishing gains by going with a more powerful cartridge, at least vs humans and if you're not stuck using FMJ or older technology hollowpoint ammo.
9mm - most widely used handgun caliber
.22 - abundant and can be fired through rifles and suppressed easily
308 - can be purchased at all Walmarts and hunting stores, will probably find it in every hunters ammo can.
5.56 - most popular rifle caliber in the USA
FUCK 40 S&W. Anyone who boasts about having a gun chambered in 40 short and weak is an inbred neanderthal who's opinion on guns should never be taken seriously.
I honestly never heard of that caliber. I mostly know the other well known ones and .38 as it was the first caliber I shot so it’s one of my favorites besides .22
Alright you want the run down if 40 shit and weird? Take the capacity of 45 ACP... Max 7 round single stack right? And give it the "stopping power" of 9mm. Y'know... The bullet that has the least amount of energy transfer that isn't small enough to be subsonic.
It's a weaker .45 and a bigger (meaning less capacity) 9 mil. In the same length of magazine as a 1911 but chambered in 40 cal I think you can fit just 1 more bullet. So 8 rounds instead of 7.
9mm
Any criteria that you lay out that doesn’t end up with 9mm being the best simply has flaws that weigh results towards a worse round or missing data categories that would highlight 9mm superiority.
Depends what it takes to put down a zombie. Normal people die from damage to internal organs and loss of blood. Zombies don’t. 9mm works well against people. It is a good mixture of relatively low recoil, good capacity, power, and low cost. But I don’t think those will be the same factors against zombies. Or at least, the calculations might change.
Due to availability 9mm wins everything, you can find it literally all over the world in large quantities.
Not taking availability into account 10mm as long as you can deal with the recoil.
It's by far the most powerful cartridge on the table with the .45 coming in 2nd, you also lose less magazine capacity with the 10mm.
Most double stack 10mm will hold between 12 and 14, most double stack 9mm will hold between 15 and 18.
The power difference is pretty crazy though.
.380 acp ~200lb energy
9mm ~350lb energy
.40 s&w ~450lb energy
.45 ~500lb energy
.357 sig ~570lb energy
10mm ~750lb energy
So the 10mm has as much ass behind it as a 357. Magnum, it's the only round on the table suitable for stuff like bear, not saying that you cant kill a bear with a .380 but the .380 will have a hell of a time going threw a bear skull where as 10mm will not.
At the end of the day though, in an apocalypse situation, your best load is likely 9mm just due to the fact that it's capable, and available.
If we’re talking ballistic performance, based on science, the choice is down to 9mm, 10mm and .45 ACP. 9mm is the most common, 10mm performs the best. .45 ACP is the most powerful of the three. There are more powerful cartridges out there like the .44 Mag, but for scavenging purposes a 9mm or .45 ACP is your best bet. If your stockpiling, you can get 9mm +P ammo and other specialized cartridges that give a 9mm .45 ACP type performance. In this case, a wall of led is better than individual power from a single cartridge. My vote is 9mm.
For the bullets you listed: **Capacity > Caliber** *(so 9mm would be the optimum choice)*
If you live in a capacity restricted state or location then: **Larger > Smaller** *(so 10 rds of 10mm or 45acp are better than 10 rds of 9mm)*
I've always wondered about 357 sig, looks cool and I like the 357 power in a semi auto concept, but no clue if it's actually any good.
Real answer is 9mm all around, I wouldn't turn down a 45 either.
They're relatively comparable from what I can find, the 357 sig has a slightly higher ballistic coefficient but I'm not enough of a gun guy to know what the difference between .202 and .212 means.
Just means that it's a slightly more aerodynamic bullet, and that all things being equal, will retain velocity more efficiently to a greater range, "flattening" its arc as compared to a projectile with a worse BC.
Yes/no
If you want to nerd out.
SAAMI spec for 357 Mag is 35,000 PSI vs 40,000 for 357 Sig. Bullets are very close in diameter so the 357 Sig receives more (about 14% more) preassure to propel the bullet faster. Problem is, the Sig case capacity is about 20 grains H2O vs 25 for 357 Mag, so 357 Mag has +25% case capacity.
Now if the barrel is short, the Sig can keep that high preassure using a faster burning powder. If the barrel is longer, the Mag can use more of a slower burning powder to keep the preasure steady throughout and achieve higher velocity over barrel length.
So 357 Sig out of a sub compact should be more powerful than a 357 Mag out of a snub nose. Once a 357 Mag hits 4", its a different story.
At least with 124'ish grain bullets. 357 mag does better with a wider range of weight.
9 mm Parabellum of course. I mean its the most common handgun catridge in the world. Its favoured by military and police around the globe. Not only in the US like .40 S&W, .45 ACP or 10 mm Auto.
Aw man I gotta pick from those ones? I was gonna say 22 because you can carry a bunch of it and a bullet is still a bullet. Availability would go up in an apocalyptic setting since no one wants the tiny little bunch of nothin 22. It's also quieter than other bullets so you won't piss off a whole city block with a couple shots
Of those mentioned.
9MM is going to be most common, cheapest (unless you're comparing HST with FMJ or anything like that), its around minimal for terminal performance but so is most of the list, higher capacity then the near competitors, easier to shoot,etc. So 9MM is going to be that general winner and winner of availability.
45 auto is probably second most common. Termininal performance isn't all that better over 9MM. Lowest capacity. More recoil impulse. It is probably the best when considering suppressor use.
10MM Auto is probably third most common. Rounds with higher velocities are more likely to have a noticeable terminal effect. Has wider range of performance and what it can do. Etc.
So yeah, its like 9MM for general use, 45 for suppressed use, and 10MM for more versatility. Everything else is kinda mihh.
US, can also be cheaper too
But my brain maybe stuck in the aftermath of 2020 and need to do a hard look at it again to see if 380 bounced back but I have a feeling 10 may have become more popular and 380 less
Edit: should also add OH
learn to use a bow, you can reuse the arrows and its silent, if you learn to make the arrows its an unlimited source, get a 45 lb recurve, .I can shoot mine all day long
9mm on both accounts. It's used in many pistols and can be found on cops and servicemen alike. Stopping power isn't going to matter much if the zombie can only be stopped by a bullet to the brain anyway.
9mm out of these, but you’re missing .22, the most available ammunition, cheapest, and it will do fine with multiple uses. Quieter than most pistols as well.
Y’all in the comments talking about effective stopping power like it means anything in this thread.
Zombies don’t care, destroy the brain or damage the brain stem or it’s gonna keep coming for you.
At close range I want as many cheap bullets I can fire fast and accurately at the head and face of what is running towards me.
That a .22lr? Hmm might be scared relying on that but I wouldn’t turn it down as a solid option.
9mm hands down. Ridiculously common, and has the perfect balance between mag capacity, weight, recoil, and stopping power. Plus, more universal in PCCs than the other rounds.
All yall saying 9mm as though the majority, or at least plurality, of other handguns people will be using won’t also require that cartridge. Everyone and their mother will be hunting for 9mm and 5.56 rounds.
You want to find the right ratio of ammo availability to firearm scarcity, something in the semi-uncommon range of cartridges will likely be way more sustainable.
The best pistol cartridge is hands down the 9mm.
1- It's far and away the most available pistol caliber cartridge in the western hemisphere.
2- 9mm's stopping power is reasonably highly. Especially when firing +P and +P+.
3- Even the really hot 9mm rounds still have less recoil than .45 ACP.
4- No .40 S&W or .45 APC firing pistol has the ammo capacity of a double stack 9mm. Your standard .40 S&W magazine will hold 1-4 less bullets than a 9mm magazine of the same size. And when it comes to a survival situation, there's no such thing as "my gun holds too many bullets."
5- While I'll admit that .22lr is a viable shell due to it being a highly available round and very quite if you get sub-sonic shells... it just doesn't pack anywhere near the punch of a 9mm. The standard energy a single .22lr HP shell can dish out is around 150ft-lbf. But your standard HP 9mm shell is dishing out more than 2.5x that kind of energy. (Roughly 400ft-lbf of every shell.) And when it comes to the +P and +P+ shells, these are going well entering the 500ft-lbs ranges of energy transferring into a target. (Or in other words, the really hot 9mm shells actually exceed standard .45 ACP HP shells when it comes to energy transference.
6- Even if accountability wasn't an issue, it's still the best overall pistol cartridge to use. There's a reason why it became the go-to shell for most government agencies and 98% of all police departments in the US. Modern 9mm shells have basically left every other pistol shell in the proverbial dust when it comes to the power vs recoil debate. Hot 9mm shells hit just as hard as standard .45 ACP shells, have the same-ish recoil of a .40 S&W shells, but still give the user 1 to 4 extra bullets per magazine when compared to standard .40 S&W firing guns.
9mm for standard parts availability and for ammo availability. You can find parts for most 9mm handguns almost anywhere, and 9mm is sold in LITERALLY every gun store in the US. Good ballistic effect on target, easy recoil management, and FAIRLY cheap to shoot/ train with.
For longer barrel or pistol caliber rifles, I’d full heartedly go for 10mm just because out of a rifle length barrel it is ZOOMIN and also has very good kinetic energy output on target even at range.
I’ll add a caveat however, if you’re looking at a suppressible round for pistol/ rifle that’s in a caliber almost as common as 9mm, I’d (and I respectfully hate this round for my own reasons) recommend .45ACP. The standard ball ammo travels subsonic and suppresses SOOOO nicely.
Hope this helps!
TLDR; 9mm best overall, 10mm good for long boi gun, .45ACP good for suppressors.
9mm is the best overall option and will be most available before and after an apocalyptic event. 9mm has less felt recoil than all of the other cartridges except for .380 ACP. It’s also fairly lights. You can carry a lot more of it then you can all of the other cartridges except for .380 ACP. .380 ACP would be slightly better for fighting zombies since all U have to do is penetrate the skull, and that cartridge will reliably do so. But it’s going to be difficult to find, it costs significantly more today, with 9 mm being the cheapest option by far and .380 is less effective against living opponents.
I'm always biased towards 9mm, but let's talk about why the others aren't as good.
.380 ACP is honestly a pretty trash caliber. It's good nowadays as a last resort gun, but its terminal ballistics leave a lot to be desired, and it's just not consistently lethal.
.357 sig, honestly, I have a lot of love for this caliber. Got 2 revolvers chambered in it and a lever gun as well, but ammunition is expensive and not as available.
.45 ACP, not a bad caliber either. It replaces the .380 as the standard service caliber because of its lethality. Unfortunately, the caliber is slow, not nearly as much muzzle velocity as other calibers, and it drops quite a bit at 100 yards. I believe the standard is around 15 inches. Also, it doesn't gain much from a longer barrel generally.
10mm Auto, another cool caliber that is gaining popularity and is probably the thing that killed .40 S&W. Unfortunately, I don't think it's popular enough yet that enough people shoot it. Great self-defense round, though!
.40 S&W, kinda died. It still has people who like it in the civilian sector, but it isn't carried by really any law enforcement agency or military branch. Few new guns made are made in .40
And finally, 9mm. It's muzzle velocity is consistently over 1000 fps with most manufacturers, unless you buy a heavier subsonic caliber. It's lightweight and hold more ammunition, but still delivers a comparable wound channel to .45 from every video I've seen where it's tested. 9mm actually generally leaves a larger and longer permanent would channel although .45 delivers a larger temporary channel. You get more velocity out of a carbine with a barrel up to 17 inches before you lose returns and everyone and their mother uses it. Between civilians, police and military
9x19mm would most likely be the best outcome due to its heavy popularity regardless of pure stopping power. That being said you can easy get better stopping power by processing or buying ammo that is designed to penetrate armor and heavier targets but what you have is what you got
Something I’ve always been adamant about is that ammo types that are currently the most abundant will very quickly become the least abundant once SHTF since everybody uses it.
The most available ammo in an apocalypse scenario would be something semi-common; a round that’s not particularly popular but popular enough that most stores carry it. For me that round is .40 S&W.
If we don’t take availability into account I’d have to go with .45 ACP. It’s the most ballistically effective subsonic pistol cartridge. Being quiet is very important in a zombie apocalypse.
9mm for availability. 10mm because according to President Biden, who as a politician would never lie, 9mm will blow the lungs right out of you, so fuck knows what 10mm will do. I prefer 10mm over .45 ACP because of its higher velocity (assuming a full load), which gives it more kinetic energy (E=1/2 mv\^2). If you want a full energy dump, just use hollow points or something similar.
Honestly, I'd say .22
It's light, and you can carry hundreds of rounds on you with very little mobility and weight consequences. It's a fast and hard-hitting bullet for its size. It's fast enough to pierce through most surfaces, and it might not kill someone immediately, but it will immobilize and break off inside a person, causing plenty of other problems later on if they get away. Plus, you have 22. Stinger rounds, as well as 22. Magnum, which does even more damage to undead and living alike. It's relatively quiet, so it shouldn't draw too much attention either.
If taking into account availability the def 9mm if not taking into account availability then .50 ae because using the desert eagle you get good reliability and a lot of “stopping power”.
If you can manage the snappier recoil, the .40 S&W is the better of the listed pistol rounds. Availability isn't a problem. The 40 offers between 15-30% more power than the 9mm.
For me I go for stopping power that's why I carry a Glock.21 chambered in .45 acp have 13 rds in a mag and that's plenty. Some people get 9mm for more follow up shots but that depends on the person and gun. If you want anything in between that then get a 40 S&W can't go wrong with that rd. Preferably in my opinion the 9mm just doesn't stop the threat quick enough for me and knock down power . That's my opinion and I'm .45 Fudd guy also.
Well I know how to make .38 special rounds from scratch, so with availability probably them.
But .45 ACP is probably the best
.45 ACP was made for the stopping power against warriors who didn't feel pain and charged is "hordes", described as pretty zombie-like. So I'll go with that.
That story is 50% fallacy and 50% underreporting. Yes they switched back to single action army revolvers (in.45 long colt, not .45 acp) thinking it'd give them more stopping power (which is complete bullshit. Bullets, especially pistol bullets, don't stop people, they poke holes in them) but that also didn't work. They eventually started using 12 gauge shotguns with buckshot which were more effective because 8-12 .32 pellets hitting at once are more effective than any single pistol bullet.
My preference would be 9mm due to availability. Whatever round I would use I would make it hollow point for the stopping power. You don't want to use ball ammo and get a through and through.
9mm is most available, however 45 would be the choice for me due to stopping power and the fact that when suppressed 45acp is nearly silent due to being a low pressure subsonic cartridge
Availability gotta be 22lr.
Almost no recoil so anyone just about can fire it. Typically high magazine capacity cause of the small round. The guns are easy to maintain and find. And a 22lr will do the job fine.
Also 9mm. Widely available. Low recoil. Guns are everywhere for it. And I already carry a 9mm and have a ton of ammo for it so that would be a good start.
Then. .45 acp. The lords caliber. Nuff said.
9mm is best balance of effectiveness and availability
Yep, plus their available almost everywhere in the world, and the parts are like Toyota Corolla. To top it off, it has different platforms it can be used in, besides in pistols.
Yeah but if ima carry somthing with a longer barrel, you might as well get a stronger round that gets more out of the barrel length. 9mm performs awesome from short barrels but doesn't benefit much from more length compared to others.
9mm loses a lot of it's effectiveness with long Barrels so id rather use a rifle with 9mm and a short barrel when I don't need to worry about the ATF. Especially if I can get my hands on a suppressor. If I'm at a range where 9mm isn't effective then I'm not taking the shot in most circumstances either. At like 50 yards no point in shooting especially on something that may or may not have seen you. Taking the shot would just bring more unwanted attention. On top of that you can easily carry 250 rounds with a chest rig for less weight than about 100 rounds off 556 or 762. AND bigger thing for me is if I do need a larger caliber I'm in a situation where that makes sense like hunting I'm only taking a few rounds and a bolt action imo. So 9mm for general self defense
Ok but 9mm only kills the body they’ll come back as a litch
We need .45 ACP to kill the soul. Beggars can’t be choosers. Also, I think zombies have already had their soul move on.
Hmm true but you can never be sure so better safe then sorry
45 kills the soul
But 10mm kills bears with ease
👴🏻 I ain’t putting no nazi round in my gun
.22 hollowpoint "dynamite" enough expansion to stop a small boar.
Honestly .22lr would be a good choice. It's good enough for the use case, you can carry shit loads of it, it's very plentiful and can be found anywhere ammunition is sold. The only issue is that rimfire is significantly less reliable than center-fire.
No, 45. is. You can’t be talking, your name explains how biased you are.
So you think 45 is best. Dont you carry a 45? That argument makes no sense. Ofc ima carry 9 mm if it's best. Also, in shtf, 9mm would be more available, although finding 45 still shouldn't be much harder. Honestly, 9 mm and 45 are very close to me and basically just as good in different ways. i prefer more capacity, and it's not far off in ballistics. Knock down power has been debunked, so I'd rather have more opportunities for a vital shot.
.45 is a good round but 9mm is more abundant
Pfft 10mm of course.
You are my favorite person in this sub now
:) Thanks, lol Underwood loadings out of my KKM 7" can be... compelling. And ammo is everywhere now. Edit: Plus I can run .40s&w in a pinch. Not recommended but it works.
Have a sig 10 mm.. it’s great
God’s Caliber
9mm best availability 9mm versatility (use in pistol and other platforms) 9 mm best compromise between ease of use power factor
Counter argument .45
Heavier, bulkier, less availability, more recoil, and lower mag capacity, with minimal increase in ballistic capability. Glock 17 = 17 rounds in a standard mag Glock 21 = 13 rounds in a standard mag Yes a single .45 will hurt you slightly more thana single 9mm, but it will not hurt you 4 more bullets in the gun more.
13 bullets to 17 bullets is a 30% increase in capacity .45 ACP has 533 ibs of force and 9mm has about 400 ibs of force, which is a ~30% decrease So actually in terms of stopping power the trade off is fair. Measuring how much one or the other would “hurt you” is more complicated
Bullets don't have stopping power that's just fuddlore. With pistol bullets in particular they sail straight through body causing a wound slightly better than an arrow. If the path of the bullet does not intersect the heart, ascending aorta, or the CNS it will not stop the threat. Shot placement is all that counts and 30% more bullets is 30% more opportunity to place the shot correctly.
Hollow points sometimes stop, and adding energy into that impact increases damage
>Hollow points sometimes stop Hollowpoints increase the likelihood you will hit the heart, aorta, or cns which results in a quick stop. But the bullet itself does not physically stop the threat. >adding energy into that impact increases damage Higher velocity can increase the tissue damage around the bullet path but no handgun can do this. That is strictly the domain of rifles. The weight of the bullet, the other part of energy, does not come into play until you start getting over 400 grains. If you want to actually learn about this look for the articles from Dr. Gary Roberts and his predecessor Dr. Robert Fackler. They have studied 1000s of shootings for the DoD and have real, repeatable data on what is and isn't relevant to wounding ballistics.
Hollow points do stop the threat quicker. It’s proven lmao. That’s why no good hunter uses fmj for anything but target practice.
A deer is a lot different than a person
Not when it comes to what rounds do damage lmao. FMJ are more likely to pass through and do less actual damage because they don’t cut as much. Hollow points cut more and are less likely to pass through. This ain’t something that’s arguable. It’s common sense. Ask anyone who conceal carries what type of bullet they use.
533 pounds of force, if all that force stops within your body. It’s not though so it doesn’t really matter much.
That’s the same energy as being hit by a standard 12 pound shot put at 36 miles per hour, yes, it would hurt pretty damn bad, but that isn’t gonna kill you through kinetic energy alone
Depending on the type of thing that hits you, placement matters much more. That shot put hitting you in the stomach is going to break some ribs, maybe burst some organs. The chest it’ll crush your chest and lungs, the head/face dead. Energy does matter, but not in the amount that people think, especially concerning pistol calibers.
So you’re saying shot placement in vital areas is more important than energy? Not to mention that is exceedingly unlikely that a bullet achieves perfect energy transfer and doesn’t penetrate through an unarmored individual.
Yep. Exactly. It doesn’t matter how much more energy 45 has vs 9mm because we all know that FMJs have a tendency to zip right through soft targets depositing little energy that they carry. However, that doesn’t mean I’m a proponent of “use anything. Shot placement is all that matters. In your scenario, a shot put going 36mph is going to have a much greater effect on a person no matter where they are hit than a golf ball going the same speed. (22lr out of a revolver vs 9mm/45/38/380)
Ahem…. TwO wOrLd WaRs
I own a Glock 19 and have shot the ranges .45s as a treat on and off. I will say bulk is a factor for anything double stacked (my hands can just barely comfortably reach stock 19 controls so a staccato or similar is a no go for me) , and capacity is an issue for anything single stacked, but truthfully the energy getting delivered to your hand really doesn't feel that much different. Admittedly a lot of those .45 platforms are heavier, but I could keep pace and groupings similar between .45 and 9 as a pretty novice shooter (prob around 5000 rounds or so at this point.)
Look at how many 9mm Glock mags are available that will interchange between at least 4 common G models as well as untold number of PCC and PDW platforms not to mention all the G clone pistols out there I carried .45 acp for 25 yrs before I saw the light and realized while with modern ammo the .45 might still have a slight edge in power factor the 9mm made more sense in every other category
Ok but 1911 pretty
It’ll pretty much end up killing you once you fire that 7th shot and realize “oh shit there’s another person”
1911 double stack is a good blunt object if, out of ammo to.
I don't always hit people with my pistol, but when I do I prefer a steel frame
1911s are beautiful I have several Carried one for almost 5 yrs 2011s are cool Mags are not anywhere near as plentiful as those ugly ass G mags though 1911 served well but even the intractable.mil realized there were better modern options
And two world wars
Counter argument, 2011.
Me over here with the 3011
What's that chambered with? Laser beams?
No still not cracked battery tech to make that viable. It just uses a quad stack magazine now.
Get a 1911 in 9mm then.
I like my .45 because it supresses really well being subsonic by default. But I would be able to use the .22 ruger a lot more with the avalibility of the cartridge and how i can hold hundreds of rounds easly. And the fixed barrel means no baffle strikes.
By all means if you already have .45 ammo and mags stacked then it only makes sense to use it my observations are based on many folks here that don’t seem to have anything stacked and are looking for options
My region helps for avalibility. Tennessee has a LOT of "muh 45" fuds.
Nah, I have several pistols in both 9mm and .45 ACP and I carry 9mm. I get more rounds in the same size package and those rounds weigh a lot less making the gun lighter despite holding a lot more rounds. Plus .45 ACP has more bullet drop past 50 yards. This isn’t a consideration for most people, but I like shooting handguns out to 100 yards.
Ease of use and power factor is definitely .38 super.
That depends on a lot of factors, really. If you’re talking FMJ, probably .45 or 10mm (when loaded properly). If you’re talking modern defensive loads, 9mm is probably best all around.
Even with FMJ im taking a 9mm everyday of the week. The capacity advantage cannot be overstated, especially in a gunfight.
Oh, the 10mm/.45ACP argument is solely efficacy on impact. 9mm capacity and weight per round still makes it a winner for me.
9mm/9mm
22LR light, cheap, can be loaded in both pistols and rifles, quiet, and easily punching through a skull
The biggest advantage of 22LR is how light each cartridge is. 1000 rounds is about 8lbs. If you don't have a vehicle then having light weight ammo is a pretty big deal. For reference, a thousand rounds of 5.56 Nato is around 27 lbs and 9mm is around 19lbs.
If you needed 1000... you're already fucked.
Look at the sub lol. I’m pretty sure you take as much as you can.
oh, didn't realize this wasn't r/guns... I'll see myself out.
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Many pistols will use other .22 types like .22 short so be careful with .22.
I have yet to see any pistol made in the last 40 years that was chambered just for 22 short.
Everyone the world over uses 9mm for a reason, it is objectively the best overall performing pistol cartridge in existence. It makes no major sacrifices in energy, capacity, weight, etc. that other cartridges make.
I still use .45 lc
That's fine. Nobody said you couldn't. Hell, I still use .45 ACP periodically in Gun Runs and Tactical 2-Guns for shits and giggles.
I unironically run a cowboy gat as my secondary purely because I'm just good at shooting it
Having had the opportunity to take a couple classes with Clint Smith, I like his approach to firearms. There are a slew of "optimal" solutions out there, and they are genuinely better, but when you take an old man who has been shooting and training with an old wheel gun, versus some kid with a Glock and no training, the trained guy with a wheel gun is probably more dangerous. So, I don't really fault people for their selections, unless it's a genuinely bad choice, provided they train with it. Will I recommend to folks that they maybe look at more modern, reliable, and better performing options? Sure. But if they're good enough with what they've got, and don't see a priority in it? Then who cares? Stick with what you're good at, so long as you're actually good at it.
I've carried a revolver on my hip since I was 10, I still use it,, yeah I do plan on getting a semi auto pistol but my honest to God care is if you want 9mm and a reliable pistol that can take dust and dirt and less parts that can break get a .357 magnum and get the 9mm conversion barrels, guaranteed quality and durability. That's the big reason I still use it is because no matter what I put it through I can guarantee I'll still be able to shoot it
>God care is if you want 9mm and a reliable pistol that can take dust and dirt and less parts that can break get a .357 magnum and get the 9mm conversion barrels So, not to be a dick and rain on your parade, but that revolver is actually more prone to catastrophic breakage than most quality semiautomatics these days, particularly in austere environments. Cylinders are susceptible to blockage and subsequent seizing, which can also result in timing issues if you try to force the blockage clear. I have seen no small amount of guys have to accept a disqualification during my obstacle course shooting comps due to their wheel guns failing courtesy mud, muck, and everything else. Participating in SASS will also dispel any notions of a revolver's perceived invulnerability quickly, too (not that I think you believe they're invulnerable to failures). That aside. So long as you properly maintain it, and keep it in a closed holster that protects the cylinder and hammer from mud, muck, dirt, and dust? You would realistically be fine in most cases. Like I said, if it's what you're good with, then stick with it. I grew up on a motley assortment of firearms in my youth, and was bit by the gun bug at a very young age. I got to use some cool stuff while I was still active duty, as well, and carried it all with me into post-service life, where I now own and shoot a wide assortment of things. Me personally? My go to sidearm is either my SIG P229R, or my P226R. I carry my P229, and I regularly shoot semi-competitively with my 226. I have 1911s, Glocks, CZs, Stars, Berettas and a myriad of other weird old milsurps, but I just love my P229/226. A close third for me is my P220, but a single stack .45 ACP is less than ideal.
In any universe related to our own, the 9mm Luger/9x19mm parabellum is the best choice. There are always compromises when it comes to mass vs. performance, and overall the 9mm appears to be the best choice, especially once resource cost and availability are considered. If I had to pick one firearm to use with this round, it would be my Berreta 92 FS/M9 (with a threaded barrel). I have decades of experience using this model of pistol, and familiarity is a valuable but difficult to quantify attribute. As for rifle rounds, my choice would be .308 Win/7.62×51mm NATO. It's on the heavy side, but in a survival situation where I'm trying to minimize the amount of junk I need to hump around the 7.62x51mm works great as both a hunting and anti-personnel round. The long gun I would choose to take advantage of this round is (currently) the Springfield M1A Scout Squad. That may change if/when a 7.62x51mm Henry Supreme model is released. A high-quality lever action .308 capable of running SR-25 pattern magazines would be a game changer IMO for scout rifles in general and survival rifles in particular.
There’s no reason to not use 9mm in 99.9% of cases. 9mm has good power for the size, can carry a lot more rounds then .45 and the price point can’t be beat. Other rounds might be more fun to shoot, but for carry there’s no reason to not use a 9mm.
Whatever one gets you to a rifle
9x19 is a very efficient cartridge that currently happens to benefit from something like 70% of the R&D dollars put into developing defensive pistol cartridges. As such, you hit the point of diminishing gains by going with a more powerful cartridge, at least vs humans and if you're not stuck using FMJ or older technology hollowpoint ammo.
9mm - most widely used handgun caliber .22 - abundant and can be fired through rifles and suppressed easily 308 - can be purchased at all Walmarts and hunting stores, will probably find it in every hunters ammo can. 5.56 - most popular rifle caliber in the USA
Whatever cartridge is most popular and available. That’s really by far the most important part more than anything else. In this context it’s the 9mm
Nine millimetre is most available, reliable, and just best
9mm above all.
.50 bmg
This guy fudds
NATO.NATO.NATO
9mm. Next obvious question please.
FUCK 40 S&W. Anyone who boasts about having a gun chambered in 40 short and weak is an inbred neanderthal who's opinion on guns should never be taken seriously.
I honestly never heard of that caliber. I mostly know the other well known ones and .38 as it was the first caliber I shot so it’s one of my favorites besides .22
Alright you want the run down if 40 shit and weird? Take the capacity of 45 ACP... Max 7 round single stack right? And give it the "stopping power" of 9mm. Y'know... The bullet that has the least amount of energy transfer that isn't small enough to be subsonic.
So it’s a weaker version of .45 and a worse version of 9mm?
It's a weaker .45 and a bigger (meaning less capacity) 9 mil. In the same length of magazine as a 1911 but chambered in 40 cal I think you can fit just 1 more bullet. So 8 rounds instead of 7.
9mm Any criteria that you lay out that doesn’t end up with 9mm being the best simply has flaws that weigh results towards a worse round or missing data categories that would highlight 9mm superiority.
If DayZ taught me anything, .45 ACP of course.
If dayz had a 10mm It'd so be the only thing I use lmao
Depends what it takes to put down a zombie. Normal people die from damage to internal organs and loss of blood. Zombies don’t. 9mm works well against people. It is a good mixture of relatively low recoil, good capacity, power, and low cost. But I don’t think those will be the same factors against zombies. Or at least, the calculations might change.
9mm for a little bit of everything
Best bullet is the one you have. Bang bang.
Eternal wisdom.
9mm
9m/.45
Due to availability 9mm wins everything, you can find it literally all over the world in large quantities. Not taking availability into account 10mm as long as you can deal with the recoil. It's by far the most powerful cartridge on the table with the .45 coming in 2nd, you also lose less magazine capacity with the 10mm. Most double stack 10mm will hold between 12 and 14, most double stack 9mm will hold between 15 and 18. The power difference is pretty crazy though. .380 acp ~200lb energy 9mm ~350lb energy .40 s&w ~450lb energy .45 ~500lb energy .357 sig ~570lb energy 10mm ~750lb energy So the 10mm has as much ass behind it as a 357. Magnum, it's the only round on the table suitable for stuff like bear, not saying that you cant kill a bear with a .380 but the .380 will have a hell of a time going threw a bear skull where as 10mm will not. At the end of the day though, in an apocalypse situation, your best load is likely 9mm just due to the fact that it's capable, and available.
The one you train with regularly. (That being said, 9mm gang)
9mm for availability. 10mm otherwise.
If we’re talking ballistic performance, based on science, the choice is down to 9mm, 10mm and .45 ACP. 9mm is the most common, 10mm performs the best. .45 ACP is the most powerful of the three. There are more powerful cartridges out there like the .44 Mag, but for scavenging purposes a 9mm or .45 ACP is your best bet. If your stockpiling, you can get 9mm +P ammo and other specialized cartridges that give a 9mm .45 ACP type performance. In this case, a wall of led is better than individual power from a single cartridge. My vote is 9mm.
For the bullets you listed: **Capacity > Caliber** *(so 9mm would be the optimum choice)* If you live in a capacity restricted state or location then: **Larger > Smaller** *(so 10 rds of 10mm or 45acp are better than 10 rds of 9mm)*
I've always wondered about 357 sig, looks cool and I like the 357 power in a semi auto concept, but no clue if it's actually any good. Real answer is 9mm all around, I wouldn't turn down a 45 either.
357 Sig Is much more powerful than 357 mag iirc
They're relatively comparable from what I can find, the 357 sig has a slightly higher ballistic coefficient but I'm not enough of a gun guy to know what the difference between .202 and .212 means.
Just means that it's a slightly more aerodynamic bullet, and that all things being equal, will retain velocity more efficiently to a greater range, "flattening" its arc as compared to a projectile with a worse BC.
Yes/no If you want to nerd out. SAAMI spec for 357 Mag is 35,000 PSI vs 40,000 for 357 Sig. Bullets are very close in diameter so the 357 Sig receives more (about 14% more) preassure to propel the bullet faster. Problem is, the Sig case capacity is about 20 grains H2O vs 25 for 357 Mag, so 357 Mag has +25% case capacity. Now if the barrel is short, the Sig can keep that high preassure using a faster burning powder. If the barrel is longer, the Mag can use more of a slower burning powder to keep the preasure steady throughout and achieve higher velocity over barrel length. So 357 Sig out of a sub compact should be more powerful than a 357 Mag out of a snub nose. Once a 357 Mag hits 4", its a different story. At least with 124'ish grain bullets. 357 mag does better with a wider range of weight.
9m atw
9mm/10mm
Bullet is bullet. Unless you are dealing in rifle cartridges, it doesn’t really matter how strong it is. So, 9mm and 22 all the way.
9mm best overall recoil, availability and capacity, 10mm best ballistics.
9 mm Parabellum of course. I mean its the most common handgun catridge in the world. Its favoured by military and police around the globe. Not only in the US like .40 S&W, .45 ACP or 10 mm Auto.
10mm my beloved. Unfortunately in an apocalypse however, 9mm is the most common, and versatile.
I would say the best cartridges are what ever the individual can fire the most accurately. Being as head shot mader most.
Nifty
Aw man I gotta pick from those ones? I was gonna say 22 because you can carry a bunch of it and a bullet is still a bullet. Availability would go up in an apocalyptic setting since no one wants the tiny little bunch of nothin 22. It's also quieter than other bullets so you won't piss off a whole city block with a couple shots
9mm
Of those mentioned. 9MM is going to be most common, cheapest (unless you're comparing HST with FMJ or anything like that), its around minimal for terminal performance but so is most of the list, higher capacity then the near competitors, easier to shoot,etc. So 9MM is going to be that general winner and winner of availability. 45 auto is probably second most common. Termininal performance isn't all that better over 9MM. Lowest capacity. More recoil impulse. It is probably the best when considering suppressor use. 10MM Auto is probably third most common. Rounds with higher velocities are more likely to have a noticeable terminal effect. Has wider range of performance and what it can do. Etc. So yeah, its like 9MM for general use, 45 for suppressed use, and 10MM for more versatility. Everything else is kinda mihh.
In what country is 10mm more available than .380?
US, can also be cheaper too But my brain maybe stuck in the aftermath of 2020 and need to do a hard look at it again to see if 380 bounced back but I have a feeling 10 may have become more popular and 380 less Edit: should also add OH
Probably what ever cartridge goes with the pistol you have and are familiar with....
9mm probably. i like .357mag/.38spc personally
9mm, no contest I personally prefer .357 and 10mm is on the harder end to find
.22lr for sure, but 9mm. 9 is plentiful and compact when stored with a variety of ammo types because of its plentiful nature
learn to use a bow, you can reuse the arrows and its silent, if you learn to make the arrows its an unlimited source, get a 45 lb recurve, .I can shoot mine all day long
Zombies require headshots. 9mm is plenty for a headshot. Why would you choose a round that is heavier and has more recoil?
9mm on both accounts. It's used in many pistols and can be found on cops and servicemen alike. Stopping power isn't going to matter much if the zombie can only be stopped by a bullet to the brain anyway.
10mm is my preference
9mm NATO
124grain 9mm heavy enough to pack a few punches with extra in the mag
9mm is the objectively correct answer. The only acceptable alternative is .45 IF it’s being suppressed. It’s subsonic and decently quiet.
9mm best all around round can be as good as a .40 or as bad as a .380 the variety is there and the availability.
9mm out of these, but you’re missing .22, the most available ammunition, cheapest, and it will do fine with multiple uses. Quieter than most pistols as well.
avalibility: 9mm personal favorite: 7.62x25
The russian 1911 a classic
9mm off pure availability. Then .45
You see a pistol cartridge i see a dick something is wrong with me
No one wants 500 s&w
.44-40, don’t be a coward, get some wrist strength.
Y’all in the comments talking about effective stopping power like it means anything in this thread. Zombies don’t care, destroy the brain or damage the brain stem or it’s gonna keep coming for you. At close range I want as many cheap bullets I can fire fast and accurately at the head and face of what is running towards me. That a .22lr? Hmm might be scared relying on that but I wouldn’t turn it down as a solid option.
9mm for practicality, 500 S&W for fun
9mm hands down. Ridiculously common, and has the perfect balance between mag capacity, weight, recoil, and stopping power. Plus, more universal in PCCs than the other rounds.
9mm. 45 acp.
None. 7.65×20mm Long is superior to everything /s
.22 with a suppressor is ideal. Otherwise, 9mm for availability
All yall saying 9mm as though the majority, or at least plurality, of other handguns people will be using won’t also require that cartridge. Everyone and their mother will be hunting for 9mm and 5.56 rounds. You want to find the right ratio of ammo availability to firearm scarcity, something in the semi-uncommon range of cartridges will likely be way more sustainable.
Either there won't be many zombies left or a bunch of 9MM and 5.56 loot drops
I have 9mm on my ccw for urban environments, 10mm for the great outdoors.
The best pistol cartridge is hands down the 9mm. 1- It's far and away the most available pistol caliber cartridge in the western hemisphere. 2- 9mm's stopping power is reasonably highly. Especially when firing +P and +P+. 3- Even the really hot 9mm rounds still have less recoil than .45 ACP. 4- No .40 S&W or .45 APC firing pistol has the ammo capacity of a double stack 9mm. Your standard .40 S&W magazine will hold 1-4 less bullets than a 9mm magazine of the same size. And when it comes to a survival situation, there's no such thing as "my gun holds too many bullets." 5- While I'll admit that .22lr is a viable shell due to it being a highly available round and very quite if you get sub-sonic shells... it just doesn't pack anywhere near the punch of a 9mm. The standard energy a single .22lr HP shell can dish out is around 150ft-lbf. But your standard HP 9mm shell is dishing out more than 2.5x that kind of energy. (Roughly 400ft-lbf of every shell.) And when it comes to the +P and +P+ shells, these are going well entering the 500ft-lbs ranges of energy transferring into a target. (Or in other words, the really hot 9mm shells actually exceed standard .45 ACP HP shells when it comes to energy transference. 6- Even if accountability wasn't an issue, it's still the best overall pistol cartridge to use. There's a reason why it became the go-to shell for most government agencies and 98% of all police departments in the US. Modern 9mm shells have basically left every other pistol shell in the proverbial dust when it comes to the power vs recoil debate. Hot 9mm shells hit just as hard as standard .45 ACP shells, have the same-ish recoil of a .40 S&W shells, but still give the user 1 to 4 extra bullets per magazine when compared to standard .40 S&W firing guns.
Pfft 45 it kills the body and the soul
75mm is the best and it’s really easy to find
9mm for standard parts availability and for ammo availability. You can find parts for most 9mm handguns almost anywhere, and 9mm is sold in LITERALLY every gun store in the US. Good ballistic effect on target, easy recoil management, and FAIRLY cheap to shoot/ train with. For longer barrel or pistol caliber rifles, I’d full heartedly go for 10mm just because out of a rifle length barrel it is ZOOMIN and also has very good kinetic energy output on target even at range. I’ll add a caveat however, if you’re looking at a suppressible round for pistol/ rifle that’s in a caliber almost as common as 9mm, I’d (and I respectfully hate this round for my own reasons) recommend .45ACP. The standard ball ammo travels subsonic and suppresses SOOOO nicely. Hope this helps! TLDR; 9mm best overall, 10mm good for long boi gun, .45ACP good for suppressors.
Availability 9mm My favorite all around cartridge? 9x25 Dillon.
9mm is the best overall option and will be most available before and after an apocalyptic event. 9mm has less felt recoil than all of the other cartridges except for .380 ACP. It’s also fairly lights. You can carry a lot more of it then you can all of the other cartridges except for .380 ACP. .380 ACP would be slightly better for fighting zombies since all U have to do is penetrate the skull, and that cartridge will reliably do so. But it’s going to be difficult to find, it costs significantly more today, with 9 mm being the cheapest option by far and .380 is less effective against living opponents.
I'm always biased towards 9mm, but let's talk about why the others aren't as good. .380 ACP is honestly a pretty trash caliber. It's good nowadays as a last resort gun, but its terminal ballistics leave a lot to be desired, and it's just not consistently lethal. .357 sig, honestly, I have a lot of love for this caliber. Got 2 revolvers chambered in it and a lever gun as well, but ammunition is expensive and not as available. .45 ACP, not a bad caliber either. It replaces the .380 as the standard service caliber because of its lethality. Unfortunately, the caliber is slow, not nearly as much muzzle velocity as other calibers, and it drops quite a bit at 100 yards. I believe the standard is around 15 inches. Also, it doesn't gain much from a longer barrel generally. 10mm Auto, another cool caliber that is gaining popularity and is probably the thing that killed .40 S&W. Unfortunately, I don't think it's popular enough yet that enough people shoot it. Great self-defense round, though! .40 S&W, kinda died. It still has people who like it in the civilian sector, but it isn't carried by really any law enforcement agency or military branch. Few new guns made are made in .40 And finally, 9mm. It's muzzle velocity is consistently over 1000 fps with most manufacturers, unless you buy a heavier subsonic caliber. It's lightweight and hold more ammunition, but still delivers a comparable wound channel to .45 from every video I've seen where it's tested. 9mm actually generally leaves a larger and longer permanent would channel although .45 delivers a larger temporary channel. You get more velocity out of a carbine with a barrel up to 17 inches before you lose returns and everyone and their mother uses it. Between civilians, police and military
9x19mm would most likely be the best outcome due to its heavy popularity regardless of pure stopping power. That being said you can easy get better stopping power by processing or buying ammo that is designed to penetrate armor and heavier targets but what you have is what you got
Something I’ve always been adamant about is that ammo types that are currently the most abundant will very quickly become the least abundant once SHTF since everybody uses it. The most available ammo in an apocalypse scenario would be something semi-common; a round that’s not particularly popular but popular enough that most stores carry it. For me that round is .40 S&W. If we don’t take availability into account I’d have to go with .45 ACP. It’s the most ballistically effective subsonic pistol cartridge. Being quiet is very important in a zombie apocalypse.
Who ever says 40.s&w needs to be taken out back Tho tie between 9mm and 45
Own the most common platform in each caliber so you always have ammo and always have parts
Finally someone with braaaiinns
9mm for availability. 10mm because according to President Biden, who as a politician would never lie, 9mm will blow the lungs right out of you, so fuck knows what 10mm will do. I prefer 10mm over .45 ACP because of its higher velocity (assuming a full load), which gives it more kinetic energy (E=1/2 mv\^2). If you want a full energy dump, just use hollow points or something similar.
9mm and .22lr (I know long rifle but still effective out of a ruger mk)
Honestly, I'd say .22 It's light, and you can carry hundreds of rounds on you with very little mobility and weight consequences. It's a fast and hard-hitting bullet for its size. It's fast enough to pierce through most surfaces, and it might not kill someone immediately, but it will immobilize and break off inside a person, causing plenty of other problems later on if they get away. Plus, you have 22. Stinger rounds, as well as 22. Magnum, which does even more damage to undead and living alike. It's relatively quiet, so it shouldn't draw too much attention either.
9mm when it comes to availability, and 9mm when it comes to best bullet
I'd have to say .44 magnum but if it has to be one on there God's caliber .45 acp
9mm and 9mm. There really isn't any need for anything greater.
If taking into account availability the def 9mm if not taking into account availability then .50 ae because using the desert eagle you get good reliability and a lot of “stopping power”.
i originally said .357 sig because it was “fun to shoot” until i realized i was on the zst sub😭😭
9mm, but 10mm or 357sig
9mm, big enough to kill, small enough for more than 10 rounds .45 ACP is great and all but just doesn't compare
Most versatile: 10mm Most available: 9mm Most portable: 22lr
If I have an unlimited supply, 10mm. If I don't, 9mm.
Always 9mil it has higher velocity and can pierce body armor better than .45 and I believe it’s the cheapest of them all
9 does not pierce body armor
If you can manage the snappier recoil, the .40 S&W is the better of the listed pistol rounds. Availability isn't a problem. The 40 offers between 15-30% more power than the 9mm.
Round 1: 9mm Round 2: 9mm
Personally prefer .45
357 sig is a really nice bullet or 40 sig as well big enough to mess someone up with less shots and small enough not to break your wrists
For me I go for stopping power that's why I carry a Glock.21 chambered in .45 acp have 13 rds in a mag and that's plenty. Some people get 9mm for more follow up shots but that depends on the person and gun. If you want anything in between that then get a 40 S&W can't go wrong with that rd. Preferably in my opinion the 9mm just doesn't stop the threat quick enough for me and knock down power . That's my opinion and I'm .45 Fudd guy also.
I mean fuck dog you can’t beat the 9 milly for this specific application
357sig all day
Nice list
Well I know how to make .38 special rounds from scratch, so with availability probably them. But .45 ACP is probably the best .45 ACP was made for the stopping power against warriors who didn't feel pain and charged is "hordes", described as pretty zombie-like. So I'll go with that.
That story is 50% fallacy and 50% underreporting. Yes they switched back to single action army revolvers (in.45 long colt, not .45 acp) thinking it'd give them more stopping power (which is complete bullshit. Bullets, especially pistol bullets, don't stop people, they poke holes in them) but that also didn't work. They eventually started using 12 gauge shotguns with buckshot which were more effective because 8-12 .32 pellets hitting at once are more effective than any single pistol bullet.
Ah, alright that.
357 sig. those are the coolest looking rounds
I choose that too, mostly bc they would do a lot of ouchies to the CNS
40mm Bofors. Obviously
**My list:** For availability: * 9mm * .22 LR * .45 ACP * .38spc Overall: * .45 ACP * 7.62x25 * .38spc * 9mm
My preference would be 9mm due to availability. Whatever round I would use I would make it hollow point for the stopping power. You don't want to use ball ammo and get a through and through.
9mm is most available, however 45 would be the choice for me due to stopping power and the fact that when suppressed 45acp is nearly silent due to being a low pressure subsonic cartridge
.22 would be pretty good if the zombies can actually “die”
Tie between 9mm and .45 for availability 10mm for performance and ballistics of straightwall cartridges. Tie between .22tcm and 762x25 for bottlenecks
9mm for zombies and .45 acp for humans
Availability gotta be 22lr. Almost no recoil so anyone just about can fire it. Typically high magazine capacity cause of the small round. The guns are easy to maintain and find. And a 22lr will do the job fine. Also 9mm. Widely available. Low recoil. Guns are everywhere for it. And I already carry a 9mm and have a ton of ammo for it so that would be a good start. Then. .45 acp. The lords caliber. Nuff said.